Postal franking machine



y 9, 1934. H. KLUssENDoRF 1,961,107

POSTAL FRANKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l y ,1934. H. KLUSSENDORF 1,961,107

POSTAL FRANKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 17. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 29, 1934 UNITED ST PATENT QF'FIE POSTAL FRANKING MACHINE Application October 17, 1932, Serial No. 638,202 In Germany November 2, 1929 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to coin controlled postal franking machines for printing different value impressions on postal matters of any kind. It is known to provide machines of the said kind with a printing stamp which after the printing operation is restored to zero position. In the known machines, however, the inserted coins only initiate the setting of the printing stamp.

According to the present invention, the print- 101 ing stamp comprises a set of cipher type discs which are interconnected by a tens transfer mechanism of the kind used in calculating machines and the like. The driving shaft of said cipher type discs is turned and the discs are set 151by setting members, for instance toothed segments, adapted to be turned in accordance with the value of the coins dropped into the apparatus through the different coin ways. On being operated each of said setting members will release a restoring force and when returning to its original position such setting member will turn the type wheels. According to the invention also a counting gear is provided, which registers all stamped amounts and prints the total on a control card.

When the printing members consist of a set of type wheels which are interconnected by a tens transfer mechanism several advantages are obtained. The type wheels may for instance be combined so as to print any desired combination of the values represented by the types. Moreover, the stamping and paying operation is simplified, since the stamping mechanism is automatically set by the coins dropped into the appa- 5 ratus.

The setting of the type wheels under the control of the inserted coins may be performed by means of mechanical, electrical or electromagnetical expedients. The machine may, for instance, be arranged in such a manner that upon the insertion of a coin circuits are closed in accordance with the value represented by the coin, whereby the type discs are moved a number of steps corresponding to the value to be r printed. The tens transfer mechanism may also be actuated by electromagnetical means.

A constructional form of the invention is schematically shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings. The machine here shown is designed for coins of four different denominations.

Fig. 1 is a sectional side view taken after the line l--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a partially sectional plan view of the same apparatus. The section is taken after the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partially sectional front view taken after the line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the zeroizing mechanism.

The postal matter 1 to be franked is dropped into the machine through the opening 2 and is stopped between the casing 3 of the printing device and the counter pressure roller 4. The 5 casing 3 is by means of pins 5 rotatably arranged in the frame 6 and is by means of a pair of bevel gears '7 connected to a coin coupling device of known kind (not illustrated) and an operating handle. When a coin is received by the coin 7 coupling the casing 3 of the printing device may be rotated a full rotation by means of the said handle. After each printing operation the casing 3 is restored to its original position by means of a bell crank lever 8 which is pressed against 7 a flattened portion of the casing by a spring 9.

The cipher type discs 11 and 12 are rotatably arranged on a shaft 10 in the interior of the casing 3. Between the discs 11 and 12 a tens transfer mechanism of known kind is arranged. so In the example here shown the disc 11 is the unit type disc and the disc 12 is the tenths disc. To the disc 11 a toothed wheel 13 is fixed which meshes with the toothed gear 14. The latter wheel is loosely arranged on a shaft 15 and carries a spring-actuated pawl 16 which cooperates with a ratchet wheel 17 fixed to the shaft 15. The pin 5 is formed with a bore serving as a bearing for one end of the shaft 15. The other end of said shaft is carried by a bearing bracket 18. On the shaft 15 a plurality of coupling wheels 19 l9 and a toothed wheel 20 are fixed. Another set of toothed wheels 21 21 are loosely located on the same shaft. The wheels 2l ---2l carry spring-actuated pawls 22 22 adapted to cooperate with the coupling wheels 19 19=. Each of the four wheels 21 -21 meshes with one of the toothed segments 23 -23 which are loosely arranged on a shaft 24. The four toothed segments are adapted to cooperate with release levers 26 --26 which are rotatably arranged on a shaft 25 and are formed with claws or projections 27 27 adapted to catch into notches 28 2S in the toothed segments and to hold the same in their uppermost position.

The free end of each release lever is located in a coin way 29 29 The machine is equipped with a suitable coin testing and sorting device (not illustrated). By means of this device each coin is directed to its appertaining coin way. 110

Below the set of release levers, a device (not illustrated) is arranged which conducts the first coin inserted into the coin coupling mechanism for the operating handle. All coins which subsequently are inserted into the machine are finally conducted to the cash box.

The apparatus operates in the following manner:

If a coin, for instance a 5 cent piece, is inserted, it will at first pass through the testing and sorting device and is thereupon passed to the coin way 29 (Fig. 3) allotted for 5 cent pieces. In the coin way the coin impacts against the release lever 26 which is deflected in the direction of the arrow, whereby its claw 27 is lifted from the notch in the toothed segment 23 and the segment is released. The segment will now swing downward under the influence of its own weight. This movement is arrested by a stop 30 which strikes against a bolt 31. Immediately before the stop 30 contacts with the bolt 31, the stop presses a U-shaped lever 32 downward, whereby a rod 33 is operated which releases a driving device (not illustrated). As indicated in Fig. 3 the lever 32 is rotatably arranged on the bolt 31. The driving device which for instance may consist of a spring motor or an electromagent will impart a reciprocating motion to a lever 34, which is rotatably arranged on the shaft 2 1. An arm 35 of the lever 34 extends under the four toothed segments 23 23 and when the lever 34 is raised, the arm 35 will lift the toothed segment 23 until the claw 2'7 again drops into the notch 28 and arrests the segment in its uppermost position.

When the toothed segment 23 swings downward, the toothed wheel 21 is turned in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow and the pawl 22 will slide over five teeth of the coupling or ratchet wheel 19 When the toothed segment 23 again is lifted, the toothed wheel 21 is turned in the opposite direction and the pawl 22 will now rotate the wheel 19 in the direction of the arrow over an angle corresponding to the are formed by the five teeth of the coupling wheel 19 Since the coupling wheel 19 is rigidly connected to the shaft 15 also this shaft, the ratchet wheel 17 and (through the effect of the pawl 16) also the toothed wheel 14 (Fig. 4) are turned. The type disc 11 is therefore rotated an amount corresponding to five ciphers.

When coins of other denominations, for instance 1, 2 and 10 cent pieces, are used, the three other coupling mechanisms are operated in the same manner as described above in connection with 5 cent pieces. The only difierence between the four driving or coupling mechanisms consists therein that the stops 3O -30 of the otherwise similar segments 23 23 are arranged in diiferent heights, as indicated in dotted lines on Fig. 1. At the segment 23 of the five cent mechanism (Fig. 3) the stop 30 is arranged in such height that the pawl 22, when the segment swings downward, is retracted over five teeth of the coupling wheel 19 The stop of the segment of the 2 cent mechanism is fixed to the segment on a lower level and when this segment swings downward the appertaining pawl will slide only over two teeth of the coupling wheel. At the segment of the 10 cent mechanism the stop is arranged in such a height (Fig. 1) that the appertaining toothed wheel performs a complete rotation in the direction of the arrow when the segment drops downward.

The rotation of the shaft 15 caused by the segments is by means of the toothed wheels 14 and 13 transmitted to the cipher type disc 11, which is the unit disc of the system. The tenths disc 12 is only moved from the disc 11 by means of the tens transfer mechanism arranged between these discs.

If, for instance, after a 5 cent piece a 2 cent piece is inserted, the disc 11 will be moved two additional steps by the segment of the 2 cent coupling mechanism.

By means of a toothed wheel 20 fixed to the shaft 15 and an intermediate toothed wheel 42 a special counting or registering mechanism 36 is operated. This mechanism records all values printed on the postal matters and prints these values or the total on a control card or the like.

When the amount to be paid has been inserted, the casing 3 of the printing system is rotated a full revolution by means of the handle (or by means of other mechanical or electrical expedients). During this rotation the printing face is inked in passing the inking roller 37, whereupon an impression is made on the postal matter located between the casing 3 and the roller 4. The type discs 11, 12 are thereupon again restored to zero position.

In order that the discs 11, 12 may be returned to zero position, both discs are equipped with pawls 38 (Fig. 4) of a kind known per se adapted to drop into a longitudinal slot in the shaft 10. On the outer side of the wall 39 of the casing 3 the shaft 10 carries a pinion 40 which meshes with the internal toothing of an annular member 41. By means of this connection the shaft 10 will perform a complete revolution after the printing operation has been completed and through this revolution both type discs 11 and 12 are, under the influence of the pawls 38, again restored to zero position.

I claim:

1. In a coin controlled franking machine of the class described, a revoluble printing stamp comprising a casing, and a type disc revolubly mounted in the casing, in combination with setting means for such disc, said setting means including a revolubly mounted gear member, means to actuate said gear member in one direction, means to operate said printing stamp, a relief member to prevent movement of said gear member, a coin chute arranged to cause said relief member to be moved by a coin passing through said chute to gear member releasing position, to release said setting means.

2. In a coin controlled franking machine of the class described, a printing stamp comprising a casing mounted for rotation and a set of number type discs revolubly mounted in the casing and the axis of rotation of which is eccentric to that of said casing; means for setting said type discs including a plurality of gravity acting gear members, a relief member associated with each such gravity acting gear member to normally prevent said gear member from moving, coin chutes one for each such relief member and arranged to cause a coin dropped therein to disengage a relief member from a gear member, means to return said gear members to initial position and means to operate said printing stamp.

3. A coin controlled franking machine of the class described, comprising a casing mounted for rotation, revoluble type discs in said casing and the axis of rotation of which is eccentric to that of such casing, means to rotate said casing, means operative to set such type discs, comprising a position, and coin chutes associated. with such relief levers and each arranged to cause a coin when dropped therein to operate a relief lever and thereby release a segment for movement by gravity and means to zeroize said type discs during partial rotation of said casing.

4. A coin controlled franking machine as claimed in claim 3, including yieldable means to hold the printing stamp casing in initial position. 7

HEINRICH KLI'iSSENDORF. 

